“If you give me a heart attack, neither of us is going to enjoy tonight,” she said lightly as Gray set his hands on her hips and tugged her back against him. Where else would he put his hands? He wasn’t an ask first, act second man and, as un-PC as it was, she loved that about him.
“Tonight’s my turn,” he growled.
Ooh. He was as good at being cryptic as he was at super stealth.
“And hello to you, too.” She wriggled backward and, yep, he was definitely glad to see her even if his verbal greeting left something to be desired. She could feel his mighty impressive erection through his pants, and that part of him was definitely perfect. She also liked the way he held on to her. Okay, she liked it a lot. She wasn’t going anywhere until he said so, and the feeling of powerlessness was an unexpected turn-on.
“Your place?” She prompted, when he didn’t move. She definitely wasn’t doing it on the path. Not only were they in a very public spot, but there would also be insects. Crickets or mutant jungle bugs whined from the dense screen of palm trees nearby. No way she was exposing flesh around them.
He leaned down, his mouth brushing her ear. “Last chance to back out.”
Hello. “I came out here for a reason. I’m not leaving now.”
He nipped her ear. The tiny bite stung, followed by a wave of molten pleasure that should have embarrassed her. Apparently, however, she was shameless tonight because she let out a small moan, and his lips curved upward in a smile.
Pressed up against him, she could feel the hard muscles of his thighs and chest. The man didn’t have a soft inch anywhere. Her position was both hot—and awkward. Her butt was glued against his front, and she wasn’t entirely sure where to put her hands. She settled for placing them on his forearms. He was all corded muscle there, too. She’d be a lucky woman if she could get him inside and get his clothes off. And if his heart didn’t have a soft spot for her, she was okay with that. Assuming his words were man code for don’t expect anything but sex from me. That fit her plans just fine, right? The way his erection pressed into her butt, his good parts rubbing against hers, also fit in just fine. Except...she’d have taken more if he’d been offering. More sex, more caring, more Gray. Darn it. He’d worked his way inside her heart like a SEAL on a convert op and she’d never seen him coming.
Evidently, he wasn’t done with his public service announcement, however, because he kept on talking. “Unless you walk away right now, I’ll make you open up in every way possible. I’ll take charge, own every inch of your gorgeous body, inside and out.”
Wow. “That sounds like a plan.”
Count her in. She tugged forward, and this time he let her move. The short walk to his room was strangely companionable. He threaded his fingers through hers, and she wanted to point out that he was holding her hand, which probably broke one of their hard-and-fast rules, but there was no sense in poking the bear, at least not until after she’d got what she came for. Plus, she could practically feel him gearing up to talk.
“If you ask me if I’m sure again, I’m going to hit you,” she warned.
A husky laugh escaped him, and she wondered which of them was more surprised. He needed to laugh more, to take life a little less seriously. It wasn’t all war games and death missions. He might be able to teach her about kinky sex, but maybe she could teach him something, too. That with the right person, at the right time, sex was fun. And she planned on having plenty of fun tonight.
“I want to be here,” she admitted softly. “With you.”
“Why?” He sounded genuinely curious as he unlocked the door to his room and gestured for her to go in first.
“No booby traps?”
He gave her a look. “That’s why I’m sending you in first.”
She grinned. “Glad I didn’t pick you because you were a gentleman.”
HE ABSOLUTELY WANTED to believe that she’d picked him. The reasons didn’t matter so much, although he couldn’t be a gentleman if his life depended on it. Laney Parker drove him crazy. From her methodical, let’s-schedule-everything-including-sex approach to life to the way she stared at him as if he was the most mouthwatering brownie on the plate and she planned on having him. Now. Maybe he drove her a little bit crazy, too.
As he followed her inside his room, he realized something else. Laney dressed up for date night drove him more than a little crazy. His awareness of her was a ten on the Richter scale, her sassy sundress begging to be stripped off as she strolled into his room with a sexy roll of her hips. Giving in to temptation, he ran his fingers down the exposed line of her spine. Her dress dipped almost to her waist in the back, a clear hint that she wore no bra. The only thing between him and all her pretty, sun-kissed skin was a handful of cotton.
He pulled her back against him and wrapped one arm around her waist. With his other hand, he tilted her chin up and kissed her. A hard, demanding kiss because if she wasn’t ready for this, for him, he needed to know. For her, he’d slow things down, kiss her until he got it right. He bit her lower lip, catching the plump flesh between his teeth. She tasted like raspberries, pink and tart where she’d slicked some sort of gloss over her lips. He licked her once, twice, then swept inside her mouth when she gasped.
But she pressed back against him, her tongue flirting with his, and when he increased the pressure of his mouth, she moaned. She moved her hands, too, stroking his arms, petting his thighs, as if she couldn’t get enough of him. And then she drew back.
“Wait,” she said.
Crap. He’d scared her. “Laney—”
She wriggled around, turning in his hold until she faced him. “So much better,” she sighed, tipping her head back. “Carry on.”
She was right.
He backed her toward the bed, suddenly grateful for the room’s small size. Five steps and her knees hit the mattress. The room’s lack of romantic extravagance was a plus. Hell, the place was downright sterile. As a resort “employee,” he merited four walls, one door, one window. He also had a twin bed, a set of plain white sheets and a navy blue comforter, none of which he’d put to much use because he’d spent most of his downtime in the SEAL camp. Frankly, the difference between this room and Laney’s bungalow was the difference between, say, Siberia and Fiji. It probably mirrored the differences between the two of them, as well.
“Can we have sex now? Please?” She tugged at his T-shirt.
“I want you to try something for me first.”
“What?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of silk ties. Usually, he would have used whatever was handy—a cord, a length of rope, his belt. But for her, he’d wanted something special and one of a kind, because she was all he could think about. Thank God none of his team had spotted him going into the hotel gift shop where he’d picked out a pair of pink silk ties while the saleslady smirked at him from behind the counter. But it had been worth the small amount of humiliation on his part. The fabric was soft and wouldn’t burn her skin. He’d also be able to free her easily if she panicked.
“I want to tie you up.”
She made a sound, her face flushing. But she didn’t take her gaze off the ties in his hand. Then she looked up at him, her eyes glazed with a sweet, lush need. “What do I do?”
He set the ties down on the bed and then reached for the strings around her neck holding her dress together. One good tug and they parted, just like he’d imagined. The cotton slipped to her waist when she wiggled. She liked what she was doing, or maybe she just liked turning him on, because her nipples were tight, her breasts flushed.
“Look at these waiting for me.” He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the hard tips.
The dress hit the floor.
Laney hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties. She must have toed off her sandals because that scrap of black lace was all she wore. And, Jesus, she wore it well. The wicked black vee barely skimmed her mound. She was all shadowy curves and sweet, decadent temptation in the dark room.
“Leave the panties. Kneel on the bed and put your hands on the headboard.”
She hesitated. “I love these panties.”
So did he.
She eyed him sternly. “So no ripping or tearing. My credit card is still protesting the price tag.”
He grinned. He’d buy her a dozen in every color of the rainbow. When she climbed up on the bed, heat exploded through him at her unwavering trust. His skin felt too tight, his balls aching and his dick hard enough to hammer iron.
Reaching over her, he bound her left wrist to the bedpost.
“No bow?” She sounded breathless, but he could hear the laughter in her voice. She wasn’t nervous or scared. She was excited and curious. God, he loved her curiosity. Almost as much as he loved her trust. His brain skirted dangerous territory for a minute. Love wasn’t part of his vocabulary.
Was it?
“Beautiful.” He pressed a kiss against her bare shoulder as he tied her right wrist to the bedpost. “I wish you could see yourself.”
“No photos,” she said, turning her head to watch him as he stepped back from the bed. “Let me be really clear, in case that’s where you were going with that.”